Determinants of Selection of R&D Cooperation Partners: Insights from Korea

Abstract

These days, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) face more severe competition in foreign markets due to the globalization of the economy (e.g., FTA). They usually lack technological capabilities and often depend on external R&D activities. Thus, it is worth exploring what factors facilitate SMEs’ R&D collaboration with partners. This paper empirically analyzes the determinants of SMEs’ selections of R&D cooperation partners in Korea. According to the regression results, SMEs with a larger labor force in R&D, larger sales, younger CEOs, more advanced technologies, and less R&D equipment are more likely to cooperate with external R&D partners. When SMEs produce a product that is not easily imitated by others, they are more willing to cooperate with universities or research institutions but not with suppliers or customers. In sum, for Korean SMEs, the arguments of appropriability and resource complementarity appear to work in their R&D activities. However, the former is more important for collaborations with universities or research institutions, and the latter is more influential to those with suppliers and customers. This paper contributes to the literature in two aspects—quantitative studies on the collaborative innovation of SMEs are still limited, and the differences in cooperation determinants across types of partners are explored due to the richness of the dataset.

Study on Low-Carbon Technology Innovation Strategies through Government–University–Enterprise Cooperation under Carbon Trading Policy

“…Most existing studies [8,9] only consider the costs associated with business operations, but not the direct economic losses caused by carbon emissions, and most current studies [10,11] only study collaborative innovation systems between governments and enterprises without considering the role of technology suppliers (universities), whereas in practice, the birth of new technology is often the result of collaborative innovation between universities and traditional enterprises led by local government. In China, enterprises often collaborate with universities for technological innovation, and universities are often the suppliers of the most advanced technologies [12]. While other enterprises can also act as carbon capture/elimination/reduction technology providers, the most advanced technology providers are often universities.…”

Women Sustainable Entrepreneurship: Review and Research Agenda

“…Sustainability is strongly linked to the variables that affect R&D investment [4] and, therefore, it is a key factor when deciding whether to invest in specific companies.…”